Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Phase Group

In Early Years we offer a creative and broad curriculum.  Our 2 year rolling curriculum has been designed to engage all children and make tangible links across the different subjects. To deepen our curriculum  further, we offer a variety of firsthand experiences including trips and visitors.

Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement 

Learning Partners Academy Trust EYFS Curriculum Intent Statement

In Early Years at Sandfield Primary School, and continuing through into the Primary Phase, we will provide a curriculum that is shaped by the guiding principles from the new EYFS framework. These principles are set out below:

  • Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
  • Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
  • Children learn and develop well in high quality enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
  • Children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

Our Early Years curriculum has planned, purposeful play and focuses on the development of physical dexterity, language skills and social awareness. The curriculum will provide opportunities for these children to learn to read and write, develop skills in maths, find out about the world around them and develop an understanding of art and design.

Sandfield EYFS Curriculum Intent Statement

At Sandfield Primary School, children will have an abundance of opportunities to learn through play. We appreciate our fantastic outdoor environment and it will be used as a continuation of our indoor provision. We will ensure that learning will be fun and engaging and we will challenge and support all children where ever their starting point. As an EYFS team, as well as being effective role models, we will provide high quality interactions in order to develop and deepen the children’s learning opportunities. We will deliver our curriculum through a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities based on the EYFS Framework 2024 as well as being directed by the children’s interests. We will provide opportunities for children to develop their imaginations as well as their sense of curiosity and ensure that children feel safe and secure at all times.

Implementation

At Sandfield, we follow the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This was updated in January 2024 by the Department for Education and sets the standards that all Early Years providers must meet to ensure that all children learn and develop well and are kept happy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

Our curriculum at Sandfield is underpinned by the importance of play and the balance between adult lead activities and child initiated activities based upon their individual interests. We want children to be naturally curious about the world around them and to develop the skills they need to set themselves goals and targets. All staff take the time to get to know children’s individual interests and provide opportunities for all to develop their imaginations. There are 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum, including:

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Physical Development
  • Communication and Language,
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

During the week, all children will be heard read by their class teacher and will attend a daily phonics session. They will also attend a balance of both child-initiated and adult led group learning during the day linked to both indoor and outdoor provision. At Sandfield, we use the approach of continuous provision whereby children use and develop their knowledge and acquisition of skills across the EYFS curriculum. Continuous provision describes all of the different provision areas, which are available to the children to use every day. These areas of provision provide a range of resources for the children to use and are accessible all of the time, throughout the year. Carefully planned continuous provision will enable all children to develop their natural curiosity, imagination and to embed learnt skills and concepts. At the heart of our approach to continuous provision at Sandfield are the quality and variety of learning conversations between the adults and children and how important rich modelled language is when working alongside all children.  Within our provision, there are always opportunities for children to direct their own learning and the environment will be adapted according to the interests of the children.

We use Seesaw as a means to communicate to our families and share observations of the children’s learning and also use this tool to document significant and personal milestones in their learning. These observations allow the EYFS team to ensure that all children are making progress and that the next steps are identified for them to continue on their learning journey.  At Sandfield, our curriculum is supported by the non-statutory guidance, ‘Development Matters’ and this document is used to support our assessment judgments as well as in supporting the development of our curriculum in EYFS.

Children investigate and experience the world around them by being willing to always have a go. Children need to be active and this active approach to learning supports their ability to concentrate and to keep persevering when they encounter challenge and difficulty. As part of the EYFS statutory guidance, there a 3 characteristics of effective learning. They include:

  • Playing and Exploring– children investigate and experience things, and have a go
  • Active Learning– children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements;
  • Creating and Thinking Critically– children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas and develop strategies for doing things.

Our wider curriculum offer is excellent and our long term planning document clearly highlights and reflects the diverse community in which Sandfield sits. We provide our families with opportunities to share their own skills and expertise as well as opportunities for them to share their child’s successes at school. During the year, parents will be kept informed as to their child’s progress through Pupil Progress meetings as well as an end of year report. Reception transition is key and Sandfield works closely with all local nurseries and families to ensure a series of transition days, nursery and home visits and parent workshops to support children in settling happily at school. This transition process is then mirrored from Reception to Key Stage 1 where the Year 1 team incorporate the continuous provision approach to ensure that Year 1 is ready for the children and builds upon the successes of the Early Years.

Impact

At Sandfield Primary School, the impact of the EYFS Curriculum is that all children make good progress from their individual starting points. All children get the best possible start to their school life and develop the knowledge and skills to reach and exceed their potential. The children are independent learners, with transferrable skills needed to start Key Stage 1.